MANILA • The Philippines has shortened curfew hours in Manila and eased the stay-at-home order to further reopen its economy.

The curfew in most of the capital region will now be from midnight to 4am, after having previously been from 10pm to 5am, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said in a televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

People aged 15 to 65 will be allowed to go out in areas under the modified general community quarantine guidelines, said Mr Ano. Under the movement restrictions, this was previously limited to people aged 21 to 60.

In the capital, the age bracket has been initially adjusted to 18 to 65, and will be further widened later on, he added.

The twin changes are in response to a request from the Cabinet to allow more businesses to thrive.

The Philippines' Health Ministry yesterday recorded 1,640 new coronavirus infections, the lowest daily increase in infections in four weeks, and 17 additional deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said the number of total confirmed cases rose to 360,775 and deaths reached 6,690, the second-highest tallies in South-east Asia, behind Indonesia.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority general manager Jojo Garcia said in a public briefing yesterday that Christmas parties are not to be held in Metro Manila.

"We encourage the private sector not to have a Christmas party because this is where the transmission of the virus will really start, because there is a mass gathering," he said.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS, XINHUA